Star-Crossed
by Mendi
Summary: One-Shot Malcolm loved his noble, his Leandra. Leandra loved her mage, her Malcolm. But running away is no simple feat, and running away with an apostate is even harder.


The light of morning slowly crept over the sea, rising slowly and bathing the dull stone walls of Kirkwall, coloring them a pale pink, with no regard to the couple standing on the pier who wished for nothing more than the night to go on.

"Malcolm, I shouldn't, I can't. I am betrothed to the_"

"Count De Launce, I know Leandra. But what we have is real. I can't give you up; especially not to some poncy noble who only cares about the sons you might give him." Leandra closed her eyes as she felt the rough yet gentle hand of her love sweep a lock of hair out her face. Opening her eyes, she stared into the warm brown eyes of the one she loved most. His mahogany hair lightly curled near his chin and his crooked smile gave him a rakish look that she adored with every fiber of her being. But while she wanted and needed to go off with him, to live the life she had dared to dream of, to live with the freedom she had only ever seen within his eyes… Even though she longed to say yes, even though her heart sang when she was near him, decorum demanded she say no.

"Malcolm, I_" She started, opening her mouth to argue once again, to say goodbye to the man that she had given her heart to, when a pair of lips effectively cut off any further argument. She felt her heart flutter as she melted into him, kissing him back with every ounce of passion in her body, determined that he would know how much she loved him.

"Please Leandra," He whispered into her ear when they had broken apart, startling both himself and her with how raw with emotion it was. He sighed and buried his face in her dark hair that cascaded to the center of her back, breathing in the smell of her. "I would die without you. I swear it. I know that I am not as good for you as the Count; I will never be able to give you that kind of life, full of grandeur. I know that I am a mage, and an apostate no less and any child of mine will most likely be cursed with this magic. But putting all of that aside, I can give you everything that a life here won't. Love and compassion. Companionship and understanding. Life without rules and decorum. Please Leandra, don't leave me. Don't marry him. Marry me and leave with me. We will flee the Free Marches and start a new life. Start a family." He stepped back and looked her in the eyes as he waited for her answer, struggling to hold in the very unmanly tears that threatened as the waiting stretched on.

Leandra's blue eyes were open in shock. She had never dreamed that Malcolm, _her _Malcolm, would ever propose this. She thought about her life here, as a noble in a stuffy well-ordered life. The only moments of true happiness and freedom she felt were when she was with Malcolm. She smiled slightly as she came to a decision. Malcolm's eyes slowly lit up as he saw the smile grow on Leandra's face.

"We can't leave right now," she whispered, "I can't leave my parents without something to remember them by. And I want to make sure we have enough coin to last us a while. Will you wait for me a little longer?" She asked as she took a smile step closer to Malcolm, the question clear in her eyes.

Letting out a breathe he hadn't known he had been holding, Malcolm launched forward with a laugh of joy and took his Leandra in his arms. Lifting her up, he spun her around until her laugh joined his. Finally setting her down, he leaned until his forehead rested against hers and he was looking into her eyes once again.

"I could wait forever for you. But if I must wait for you again," He said, caressing her back and he tightened his grip on her slender frame. "Will you allow me one night with you? Then I will gladly give you up until you are ready to leave with me. Please Leandra."

Leandra took a deep breath as she closed the gap between her and Malcolm Hawke. "Nothing would make me happier than to be with you." She said after their lips had parted.

"I love you." He said as he claimed her lips once again.

It was then, as the sun rose even higher across the sky, as the lover's embraced and later that day, in the cool of Malcolm's small home in dark town, as they joined together as one for the first time, that the Champion of Kirkwall became more than a possibility. It was this day, when Hawke became a certainty.

* * *

This is just a one shot of how I imagine the elder Hawke and Leandra... running away. :)


End file.
